Add the flour and salt. Knead 5 min / dough mode, helping with the spatula through the hole of the lid at mid-kneading.

At the tone, reserve dough in a bowl and prove for 1 hour, away from air drafts.

Meanwhile, cut a sheet of parchment paper larger than the casserole, crumple it, work it underwater, wring it out and place it at the bottom of the casserole.

Braiding the dough

Punch down dough and form a ball. Cut into 3 pieces and roll out one of them with the palm of your hand. Roll into a snail then pinch to close. Roll out and stretch to obtain a piece of long dough (see picture) and reserve. Do the same with the other two pieces.

Place the 3 rolls side by side and join them together by pinching and braiding (see photo). To close the braid, firmly pinch the 3 pieces together and gently put the braid in the casserole. Sprinkle with flour and close the casserole (and do not open it until the end of cooking). Leave prove for 15 to 20 minutes.

Bake in a cold oven and program 45 minutes at 450 ° F.

Open the casserole and remove the braid to place on a wire rack to cool.

NOTES

Chef's preference: Enameled steel casserole of 33 cm for 500 g of flour or 46 cm for 1 kg of flour. Why? The price (inexpensive), the weight (light therefore easy to handle especially when you want to remove it from the oven), and cools quickly.